How to progress from knee pushups to full pushups

Why the jump feels so hard

A full push-up moves way more of your bodyweight through your arms and chest than the knee version does. It's not a small step up, it's closer to double the load, which is why so many guys plateau on their knees for ages and then wonder why full push-ups still feel impossible.

The fix isn't grinding out more knee push-ups. It's adding a middle step that trains your body to hold a straight line under load before you ask it to do the whole rep.

Use an incline instead of your knees

Put your hands on a couch, a step, or a sturdy coffee table and do your push-ups from there. It's the same movement pattern as a full push-up, just with less weight on your arms, so your body actually learns the mechanics instead of learning a different exercise on your knees.

Every week or two, move to something a bit lower. Couch, then a dining chair, then a low step, then the floor. When you can do 3 sets of 8 clean reps at one height, drop down.

Build the plank first

A lot of guys can do knee push-ups fine but fall apart the second their hips join the party, because their core hasn't learned to keep everything rigid. A plank trains that exact skill without any pushing involved.

Hold one for 20 to 30 seconds, rest, repeat for three rounds, a couple times a week. It sounds too simple to matter, but a strong plank is basically half of a good push-up.

• Plank: 3 rounds, hold as long as you can with good form
• Pike push-up if you want extra shoulder push strength
• Bench dip on the days you skip pushing altogether

Try negatives when you're close

Once the incline push-ups feel easy, get into a full push-up position and lower yourself down as slowly as you can, then just drop the rest of the way or push back up from your knees. This is called a negative and it's one of the fastest ways to build the specific strength you're missing.

Do 3 to 5 slow negatives at the end of your workout. You'll be surprised how quickly a real push-up shows up after a couple weeks of this.

Keep your wrists and shoulders happy

Push-ups put a fair bit of strain on your wrists, especially if you've been away from the floor for a while. A quick stretch before and after your sets helps, and it takes about 20 seconds each side.

If you get sharp or radiating pain in your shoulder or wrist rather than normal muscle fatigue, that's worth getting checked out by someone who can actually look at it.

Common questions

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